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Abstract This article takes the opportunity of the recent establishment of two large and remote marine protected areas (MPAs) in Brazilian jurisdictional waters to discuss the role played by large-scale MPAs and their impacts to achieve international goals. After the launching of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets in 2010, especially Target 11, which concerns marine areas, some coastal states have created large-scale MPAs as a way of attaining a numerical target, though not necessarily fulfilling other ecosystem commitments. Brazil is the most recent example of this strategy through the establishment of MPAs that seem primarily concerned with international goals rather than effective biodiversity protection. Since the management of these protected areas will be shared between a technical body (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation) and the Navy, and only a small portion of which will have similar status to "no-take" zone, the new MPAs can hardly be identified as being strongly committed to the marine environment protection. The article ends with some suggestions for improving biodiversity conservation in the Brazilian large-scale MPAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) and EPD-like demands have been gaining importance, particularly due to the release of Product Environmental Footprint by the European Union (EU). EPDs could be demanded in international trade, potentially creating a technical trade barrier for emerging economy countries. Thus, those countries should evaluate their readiness to successfully meet this demand. In this sense, this paper aims to analyse and propose strategies for EPD promotion in Brazil. Brazil's situation regarding life cycle assessment (LCA) and EPD development was analysed considering its business, academic, public policy and consumers contexts. In addition, an analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) was elaborated based on interviews with EPD stakeholders in the country. These allowed some strategies to be proposed considering the principle of connecting strengths and opportunities, compensating for weaknesses and neutralizing threats. The results showed that Brazil has a technical and institutional context that enables EPD growth due to the initial stage of LCA database, EPD programs, stakeholders' engagement, and availability of experts. However, in general, these aspects aren't in an adequate level for successful EPD promotion. There is still a large path for EPD understanding and life cycle data availability. Besides, financial and technical restriction, especially considering small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), present structural barriers. Nevertheless, by promoting EPD, Brazil could have gains in terms of credibility, access to global markets and environmental awareness. The opposite could happen if the country doesn't seize these opportunities. Furthermore, to influence Product Category Rule (PCR) definitions was said to be a key opportunity to avoid rules that disregard Brazilian singularities. Strategies for EPD promotion should focus on sensitizing and engaging different stakeholders in strategic sectors (civil construction, paper and pulp, coffee, ingredients derived from soya and livestock), enhancing technical capacities and life cycle data generation, and strengthening EPD programs to boost the Brazilian internal market and PCR development. Brazilian institutions should be encouraged to follow international discussions on EPD and internalize them, fostering sustainable production and consumption in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the effects that the Itaipú Hydropower Plant has had in the development of capabilities and the evolution of energy security aspects in Paraguay and Brazil. To do this, it applies a theoretical framework that integrates elements from the energy security literature with the concept of capabilities. Applying the framework sheds light on the evolution of the financial, organisational, and technical capabilities that developed in connection with the building and operation of the dam and its impact on energy security in both countries. The research design of the study is an in-depth case study drawing on qualitative data including original interviews collected between 2020 and 2021 as well as on an extensive review of official documents and statistical data. The paper finds that the dam had a deep and lasting impact in the evolution of the electricity sector in both Paraguay and Brazil with positive as well as negative impacts in energy security across all the analysed dimensions. The paper presents relevant case specific conclusions as well as general implications of the findings that emerge and can potentially inform similar situations in other settings where large electricity endowments are shared by two or more countries, irrespective of the technology. • Integrates elements of energy security and technical, organisational, and financial capabilities • Presents original research on the impacts of the Itaipú hydropower plant • Contrasts impacts of transboundary hydropower in Paraguay and Brazil • Draws on original qualitative and quantitative data collected in three countries [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low carbon agricultural techniques, which aim to reduce agricultural emissions without compromising productivity, are being widely adopted as one strategy to promote more sustainable food systems. Evaluating the impact of such practices requires an effective monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) system. To our knowledge, no MRV system has been designed or implemented for monitoring and measuring the impacts of the adoption of low carbon agricultural practices. The goal of this paper is to explore the opportunities and challenges of developing a large scale MRV system for low carbon agriculture in Brazil - a major global food producer. The analysis presented in this paper is based on primary data, collected through interviews and conversations with experts, and secondary data from a literature review as well as from public and private databases. Hence, we discuss the three phases of monitoring, reporting and verification. In each case, we analyze the informational needs of an MRV system, evaluate the strengths and limitations of available tools to collect and process these data, and present a vision of how these constituent parts could form a comprehensive MRV system for Brazil. Our analysis reveals technical and governance challenges. On the technical side, challenges include the need to develop emissions factors to calculate mitigation across a range of biomes and low carbon agricultural techniques, and the high costs of gathering and verifying information on farm level. On the governance side, there is a need to generate economic incentives for farmers to share private, farm-level data with a public MRV system. The MRV system could help producers to demonstrate adoption and mitigation, giving them improved access to low-interest credit or certification programs. We conclude that the implementation of a large scale MRV system for low carbon agriculture demands an integrative approach based on a hybrid public-private governance system that prioritizes cost-effectiveness and facilitates smooth information transfer. • Low carbon agriculture needs Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems for measuring and reporting GHG emissions. • We propose an MRV system for Brazil, a country that has huge mitigation potential due to its agricultural activity. • Primary farm-level data about adopted techniques could be combined with remotely-sensed and secondary data about land use. • A hybrid public-private governance strategy could reduce costs and create incentives. • Brazil's case is a relevant benchmark for MRV systems in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper aims to study the process of intergenerational income mobility in some Latin American economies (Brazil and Panama), which have been much neglected in the relevant literature. • Our rich and detailed dataset (the IPUMS survey) allows us to provide the most reliable estimates of intergenerational mobility, after controlling for a number of additional control variables which were unavailable in previous studies, such as family size, literacy level of fathers, and location in rural versus urban areas. • In the present study, we can also eliminate co-residence and young adults' problems which are widely discussed in the current literature. This allows us avoiding complex and problematic methodologies to predict the incomes of parents for the non-co-residing children from the co-residing children. • A major advantage of our paper as compared to the previous literature, considering that the instrumental variables typically used for this methodology do not fully satisfy the exclusion restriction. • We show that behind social immobility there is also a sluggish process of structural change and an insufficiently progressive tax system. This paper aims to study the process of intergenerational income mobility in some Latin American economies (Brazil and Panama), which have been much neglected in the relevant literature. Like other countries in the area, Brazil and Panama have a stagnant economy coupled with high income inequality. Our rich dataset allows us to provide the most reliable estimates of intergenerational mobility, after controlling for a number of additional control variables which were unavailable in previous studies. We provide estimates broken down for different genders, age groups, locations, education of fathers. Our results are robust to different specifications and suggest that previous studies significantly overrated the extent of the intergenerational mobility in the countries considered. However, our figures are still compatible with an extremely low degree of social mobility. Moreover, we show that behind social immobility there is also a sluggish process of structural change and an insufficiently progressive tax system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the potential implications of the proposed European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and the recently adopted United Kingdom (UK) legislation on deforestation-free supply chains (henceforth 'the legislation') for different stakeholders in Brazil. These regulations intend to address global commodity-driven deforestation and forest degradation by ensuring that targeted commodities and products placed on (or exported from) markets are of minimal risk of being associated with - in the EU - deforestation and forest degradation or - in the UK - illegal deforestation. The paper examines potential compliance readiness in cattle, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soybean and tropical timber supply chains in Brazil, indicating specific challenges that may arise. Through the construction of a "Compliance Likelihood Index", our research provides comparable indications to policymakers on sectors and stakeholders that may need stronger support to meet the requirements, in order to maintain Brazil's access to EU and UK markets. The paper indicates that coffee is the sector with the highest level of incentivization and smallest hurdles for compliance, while the cattle sector may face stronger challenges to rapidly adjust its production system towards a deforestation-free value chain and prove compliance. Results of our analysis also highlight the need for collaboration between the EU/UK and Brazil in order to promote alignment between domestic and demand-side legislations so that they are mutually reinforcing. Results of this exercise, which has a focus on the producer-country view of demand-side legislation, will contribute to discussions on the merits of different approaches to strengthen the governance of deforestation-risk commodity trade. [Display omitted] • Brazil's coffee sector may currently have the greatest likelihood of ready compliance. • Cattle may be the sector to which the regulations may pose the greatest challenges. • The EU and UK should focus on providing financial means and technical assistance for smallholders. • The EU and UK legislation will need to be accompanied by domestic policies and regulations in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the disappointing outreach of Brazilian urban reform by analyzing the underlying tensions and contradictions of its key principle, that is, the social, function of property (SFP), from a perspective of contemporary theoretical debates on the double nature of rent (i.e., related to monopoly positions and emerging from market, circulation). The SFP principle is grounded in anti-rentier, agrarian reform thinking, which stressed that individual monopoly landowners should not be allowed to retain their property for speculative purposes and use it productively to increase food supplies. In contemporary dense cities, however, using property "productively" implies redevelopment, that is, transformation of existing structures of the built environment, into alternative ones. This has two implications, one related to the essence of the SFP, (its being), the other regarding what it means having a SFP in an urban setting. In relation to the former, despite its anti-rentier stance, in cities the SFP triggers a redevelopment-rent nexus due to the circulation of rents in non-competitive markets. Regarding the latter implication, having a SFP in cities requires complex, open-ended and utilitarian negotiations between state and non-state actors aimed at the appropriation of rents to articulate the conflicting interests of individual property owners with the collective good. The theoretical argument of the paper is illustrated with a short, heuristic case on redevelopment in the city of São Paulo, while its conclusion provides elements for a research agenda on the limits of market-based, reformist versus right- based planning beyond this specific context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impacts of emergency cash-transfers on individuals' social distancing behaviour and beliefs about COVID-19. We focus on the impacts of "Auxilio Emergencial" (AE): a large-scale cash-transfer in Brazil targeting low-income individuals who were unemployed or informally employed during the pandemic. To identify causal effects we exploit exogenous variation, arising from the AE design, in individuals' access to the cash-transfer programme. Using data from an online survey, our results suggest that eligibility to the emergency cash transfer led to a reduced likelihood of individuals contracting COVID-19, likely to have been driven by a reduction in working hours. Moreover, the cash transfer seems to have increased perceptions about the seriousness of coronavirus, while also exacerbating misconceptions about the pandemic. These findings indicate effects of emergency cash-transfers in determining individuals' narratives about a pandemic, in enabling social distancing and potentially in reducing the spread of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Brazilian economy's lack of dynamism has coincided with China's rise as a global powerhouse. • This is why we have evaluated if an increase in China´s market share in a third country's market is associated with an increase or a decrease of Brazil´s market share. • Our results suggest that Chinese manufacturing exports directly displaced Brazilian exports. • The Real's appreciation in the 2000s was an indirect transmission channel. This paper analyses the relationship between Brazil´s regressive specialisation and China´s increased international competitiveness. The Brazilian economy's lack of dynamism and competitiveness in global markets, particularly when it comes to the production and exportation of manufactured goods, has coincided with China's rise as a global powerhouse. This is why we have considered whether an increase in China´s market share in a third country's market is associated with an increase or decrease in Brazil´s market share. To test this relationship, we applied a generalised method of moments (IV-GMM) in a panel data framework. Our main results suggests that: (i) China´s market share increases were associated with decreases in Brazil´s share; and (ii) the effect of Chinas´ market share can change according to the size of the partner's economy. Finally, we have explored the implications of our findings considering Keynesian and structuralist theories, which highlight the importance of the manufacturing sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper explored the effect of renewable energy, financial development, and technological innovation on the ecological footprint in Brazil using a yearly dataset stretching between 1990 and 2018. The research leverage dynamic autoregressive distributed lag, Bayern and Hank cointegration, and frequency domain causality to explore these interrelationships. The ARDL bounds test outcome confirms a long-run connection between ecological footprint and its drivers. Besides, we employed the Bayern and Hank cointegration, and the outcome resonated with the ARDL bounds test result. Moreover, the dynamic ARDL outcomes disclosed that economic progress worsens the ecosystem whilst renewable energy, trade globalization, and technological innovation lessen the ecological footprint. In addition, no significant interrelationship was found between financial development and ecological footprint. Moreover, with the exemption of financial development, all the exogenous variables can forecast the ecological footprint in Brazil. The study proposes that policymakers in Brazil should undertake investments in research and development in order to achieve technological innovation. Furthermore, since technological innovation has been shown to contribute significantly to lowering the ecological footprint, it is possible to assume that enhancing current technology is the ultimate remedy to Brazil's ecological problems. • Dynamic ARDL applied to Brazil's time series data. • Renewable energy and Technology innovation improve environmental quality. • Trade and globalization also reduce Ecological Footprints (EF). • Economic Growth contributes to higher EF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We compare ten conferences in Brazil with over 1600 papers and 2600 authors. • These events aided capacity-building through decentralized concentration. • Mobile and stationary locations created clusters of authors and study sites. • Sites of study were more diverse than spaces of knowledge production. • Both cyclical events mitigated regional disparities and built knowledge hubs. This article advances research on the geographies of science, higher education, and knowledge production by analysing how the material, social, and intellectual geographies of academic conferences have shaped capacity-building in Brazil. Drawing upon debates about conferences as temporary and cyclical knowledge clusters, mobilities of knowledge, and triadic thought, we present the first longitudinal and comparative geographical analysis of academic conferences by examining Brazil's two major biannual conferences on urban and regional development and planning—the mobile ENANPUR events and the stationary SIDR meetings—over a ten-year period. Our multi-dimensional and multi-scalar comparative analysis of ten events with more than 1600 conference papers and 2600 contributing authors reveals that in the context of an expanding Brazilian higher education system, both conferences acquired national reach of paper authors and study sites but with persisting east-west and south-north disparities. We discuss how ENANPUR and SIDR contributed to national capacity-building through 'decentralized concentration' of knowledge production and exchange, mitigating regional disparities via the decentralization of epistemic communities but reinforcing regional imbalances through the concentration of resources in conference locations, coastal states, and the two southern regions. We argue that conferences are an important tool for urban and regional development because they put places and people 'on the map' of epistemic communities and policy agendas, thereby helping to provide expertise for local and regional problem-solving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the supply chain and reverse channels of expanded polystyrene packaging connection in Brazil and their roles to discuss the main challenges towards circular economy. In order to achieve this goal, we propose a four-step method, anchored in the literature, technical visits, and interviews with experts in the expanded polystyrene (EPS) industry. First, the EPS supply chain was characterised and mapped, and secondly, the stakeholders and logistics activities in reverse channels were analysed. Third, the Brazilian legislation and chain structure was reviewed to obtain an understanding of how this can influence the activities developed in reverse channels. Fourth, with an analysis of the data collected before, the barriers to implement EPS reverse chain were presented. The main results establish that the EPS can complete one cycle of the circular economy, which is recycling, but products need to be separated and washed. The most significant waste generators are public and private institutions, residences, and retailers. Notable barriers to its recycling are a lack of understanding of the nature of expanded polystyrene recycling by Brazilian people, high transport cost due to material density, and the dispersion of post-consumer expanded polystyrene in several regions of the country linked with the small number of recycling facilities. Finally, this issue could be explored in industries and companies that require their managers to adopt strategies to improve reverse logistics in order to promote the circular economy. The companies' actions could facilitate a stronger circular supply chain since they could increase recycling efforts, reduce expanded polystyrene waste, and present new business models. The resulting generation of employment would contribute to the quality of life of contemporary society. The findings presented in the paper enable industries to identify and guide the most demanding significant steps and processes, and to shift the reverse chain and expanded polystyrene recycling to ensure that they operate more efficiently. • Reverse logistics as the first step towards circular supply chain. • The paper maps the expanded polystyrene packaging supply chain and its reverse logistics. • This paper presents the barriers that hinder the reverse logistics in Brazil. • The main challenges are related to the consumers and the recycling industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Physical therapists from dermatology report having knowledge to be able to implement EBP. • Physical therapists from dermatology believe having skills to be able to implement EBP. • There were inconsistencies on some answers about knowledge and skills related to EBP. Dermatology is a relatively new subdiscipline of physical therapy with growth potential. Therefore, it is important to identify whether professionals from this area have the knowledge and skills required to offer the best available service based on evidence-based practice. To describe the self-reported behavior, knowledge, skills, opinion, and barriers related to the evidence-based practice of Brazilian physical therapists from the dermatology subdiscipline. An adapted electronic questionnaire was sent by the Brazilian Association of Dermatology Physical Therapy via email to all registered members. The data were analyzed descriptively. The response rate was 40.4% (101/250). Brazilian physical therapists from the dermatology subdiscipline reported that they update themselves equally through scientific papers and courses, and access preferentially databases that offer scientific papers in the Portuguese language. Respondents believe they have sufficient knowledge to use evidence-based practice, inform patients about treatment options and consider their choices in the decision-making process. However, there were inconsistencies in responses regarding the experience with evidence-based practice during undergraduate or postgraduate degree, as well as having discussions about evidence-based practice in the workplace. The barriers most frequently reported were difficulty to obtain full-text papers, lack of quality of the scientific papers, applicability of the findings into clinical practice, lack of evidence-based practice training and difficulty to understand the statistics. Brazilian physical therapists from the dermatology subdiscipline have positive perceived behavior, believe that they have sufficient knowledge and skills, and have favorable opinion related to evidence-based practice. However, there are inconsistencies related to some aspects of knowledge and skills set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has increased the frequency of extreme weather events and, consequently, the number of occurrences of natural disasters. In Brazil, among these disasters, floods, flash floods, and landslides account for the highest number of deaths, the latter being the most lethal. Bearing in mind the importance of monitoring areas susceptible to disasters, the REMADEN/REDEGEO project of the National Center for Monitoring and Natural Disaster Alerts (Cemaden) has promoted the installation of a network of soil moisture sensors in regions with a long history of landslides. This network was used in the present paper as a base to develop a system for moisture forecasting in those critical zones. The time series of rainfall and moisture were used in an inversion algorithm to obtain the geotechnical parameters of the soil. Then the geotechnical model was used in a forward calculation with the rainfall prediction to obtain the soil moisture forecast. The landslide events of March 2020 and May 2022 in Guarujá and Recife, respectively, were used as study cases for the developed system. The obtained results indicate that the proposed methodology has the potential to be used as an important tool in the decision-making process for issuing landslide alerts. • This paper presents a novel system aimed at predicting soil moisture conditions based on rainfall forecast data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates whether the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Bolsa Família improves test scores performance of beneficiary pupils compared to similar disadvantaged pupils who are non-beneficiaries of the program. Prova Brasil (Brazil Exam), Censo Escolar (School Census), and the Attendance System (Sistema Presença) of 2011 are used to answer this question in a Propensity Score Matching design. We find a significant positive association of the Bolsa Família program on test scores in language and mathematics, but the effect is very small: between 2 and 3 of a standard deviation. We also find small heterogeneous effects by region as beneficiary pupils from the richer regions of southeast and south perform, on average, 1 of a standard deviation higher than beneficiary pupils from the poorer north and northeast. This paper extends the scarce literature on the impact of CCTs on test scores performance in the developing world. • The Bolsa Família program has a small significant positive association on test scores performance of beneficiary pupils. • Beneficiary pupils from richer regions perform slightly higher than beneficiary pupils from poorer regions • This article shows the importance of accounting for sample bias to assess the potential effects of social protection programs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Cerrado is one of the world's biodiversity hotspots, a key hydrological area of Brazil and home to socio-culturally diverse groups. However, the expansion of agribusiness activities in the Cerrado biome has led to acute social-ecological disturbances. Deploying strategies that promote socially and ecologically sustainable land use therein is hence imperative. One such strategy encompasses the harvesting, processing and commercialization of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs). This paper thus aims to uncover what interdependent social-ecological dynamics hinder and/or facilitate the consolidation of NTFP activities as a strategy to promote sustainable land use in the Cerrado and how to overcome the challenges permeating these activities. It does so by analyzing NTFP activities in Pirenópolis, Goiás, originally combining different fields of research. This research highlights social-ecological dynamics resulting in positive outcomes, such as the satisfaction of material and socio-cultural needs, the protection and planting of tree species, and a sound knowledge on the ecology and phenology of NTFPs, as well as on sustainable harvesting techniques. Notwithstanding, the results also demonstrate that power imbalances, insufficient local capacity and the agribusiness hegemony hamper NTFP activities in Pirenópolis. This paper emphasizes the urgency of addressing power asymmetries, especially considering the need for the formulation of land use policies that can tackle issues of access to land and NTFPs. This research moreover points to the importance of stronger social relations that can enhance the role of NTFP activities as a strategy to promote sustainable land use. • This paper provides an original analysis on the role NTFPs as a strategy to promote sustainable land use. • The case study encompasses NTFP activities in Pirenópolis, a municipality located in Brazil's Cerrado. • Positive social-ecological outcomes of NTFP activities are observed in Pirenópolis. • However, power asymmetries and the path-dependent legacy inherent in the agribusiness hegemony hamper NTFP activities therein. • A socio-political environment enabling the tackling of power asymmetries is key for overcoming the challenges permeating NTFP activities in the Cerrado. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study offers an extensive overview on the evolution and current state of marine oil spill research in Brazil and then discusses further directions. Given the historical and current relevance of this issue, this paper also aims to summarize the exploration, geological background, design of oil spills timeline and assessment of the most important of them. Moreover, it includes a critical comparison of Brazilian oil spill models in terms of their simulation abilities, real-time field data assimilation, space and time forecasts and uncertainty evaluation. This study also presents the perspectives of the Multi-User System for Detection, Prediction, and Monitoring of Oil Spills at Sea (SisMOM) the largest and most important Brazilian project to face the offshore oil spills. [Display omitted] • The Brazilian coast is frequently reached by illegal dumping. • Oil spills in Brazil are classified as small but impactful events. • SISMOM is the new Brazilian system to track oil spills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper conducts an empirical analysis of the relationship between Foreign Direct Investments and electricity poverty in Brazil in the period 1992–2021. With the opening up of the Brazilian economy in the 1990s policy makers expected that foreign investment would contribute to the development of the Brazilian economy. The impact of Foreign Direct Investment in the electricity sector is, nonetheless, a topic with scarce literature. Therefore, the current work to fill this gap is justified. We adopt an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to investigate the short and long-run relationship between these variables. Our main result is that Foreign Direct Investment has a negative impact on electricity consumption in Brazil. Additionally, Foreign Direct Investment has a negative impact in terms of electricity access, at the time of the occurrence of the investment, which is compensated the year after. Private investments, have on the other hand, impacted electricity consumption positively. An implication is the need for compensatory public policies that can increase access to electricity for the poorest populations. • This article analyzes the process of electricity inclusiveness in Brazil in the period 1992–2021. • This article provides an empirical analysis of the impact of FDI on electricity access in Brazil during 1992–2021. • This article provides an empirical analysis of the impact of FDI on electricity consumption in Brazil during 1992-2021. • This article shows that FDI in energy related sectors needs to be accompanied by regulations to foster inclusiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil is a case of the achievement of a high share of wind energy integration to an interconnected power system in an emerging market. A series of successful energy supply programmes and a strong renewable-oriented finance framework implemented since 2002, have promoted alternative renewables – wind installed capacity increased over 22-fold from 927 MW in 2011 to 21 GW in 2022, reaching 11.77% of total procured power. From this, about 90% are concentrated in Brazil's least developed region, the Northeast, where wind investment should create jobs and propel socioeconomic development. Despite that, there is no studies specific assessing the regional and economy-wide effects of those programmes, gap that this paper aims to fill by applying the regional Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model TERM-BR10. We assess that by modelling an alternative scenario for the period 2010-19 based on an official electricity matrix built in 2010, that projected 3.4 additional GW of wind power while not considering all the success of renewable policies, against the observed installed capacity expansion, where wind power was 3.7 times higher than what had been planned. Our results show that in the absence of renewable policies, Brazil would have faced economic losses such as GDP (−0.27%) and investment (−4.76%). The Northeast region would have been the most impacted in terms of GDP (−1.3%), real wage (−2.99%) and employment creation (−0.1%). We propose that such socioeconomic co-benefits are incorporated in energy planning, which could promote regional equality through renewable energy expansion. • Wind power capacity increased over 20-fold from 2011 to 2022. • 90% are in the poorest region where policies propel development and job creation. • Policy absence would entail a GDP loss of 0.27% nationally and of 1.3% in the region. • Negative impacts to labour market are mostly over skilled jobs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper simulates hypothetical student loan schemes for Brazil. • Designs are assessed in terms of affordability for graduates and size of subsidies. • A copula approach is applied to simulate dynamic earnings paths for graduates. • ICL with surcharge, limited concessions and progressive repayment rates is favoured. • A nationwide ICL is technically and institutionally feasible in Brazil. This paper simulates student loan schemes for Brazil. A copula approach is applied to simulate dynamic earnings paths for graduates. Repayment patterns are then simulated for time-based and income-contingent loan designs. The results show that the Brazilian time-based scheme involved unsustainable repayment burdens for many graduates and contributed to the scheme's high default rates. We also show that the new income-contingent scheme is also likely to involve high taxpayer subsidies. We consider alternative designs with different strengths and weaknesses but favour an income-contingent scheme with a loan fee, repayment rates at 50% of current income tax rates and an interest rate at the government's cost of borrowing upon graduation and above initial tax threshold. We conclude by emphasising that full involvement of the federal revenue system is more desirable than the present approach of employer withholding. This would increase the earnings base and reduce costs, which is important for Brazil's current precarious fiscal situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Discussions in geography and cognate disciplines have considered how contemporary formations of power and politics support and give rise to violence in a range of contexts. Often, these discussions have invoked Foucault's and Agamben's analyses of sovereignty as well as governmentality to show how violence is legitimized by state and non-state actors. Focusing on the Brazilian context, the paper argues that this strand of research, though opening up productive analytic pathways, has largely eclipsed a set of powerful technologies that are structured around dependencies. Such issues of dependency have been particularly pronounced in writings that have proposed an 'embedded' approach to violence in Latin American urban contexts. Importantly, whereas Foucault- and Agamben-inspired writings have focused largely on how violence is justified and legitimized, studies emphasizing its embeddedness have brought into relief how violence is concealed and removed from systems of accountability. To describe the dependencies enabling such concealment, though, studies of embedded violence have often relied on the notion of 'political clientelism'. Interrogating the epistemological assumptions associated with this notion, the paper suggests re-framing relations of dependency as constituted through situated technologies that operate, for instance, through performances of benevolence, racialized and gendered discourses or practices of concealment. This, it is argued, opens the view towards other combinations of power than those of sovereignty, discipline and biopolitics that have commonly been focused in the wake of Agamben and Foucault. Highlights • Considers power relations that enable the concealment of violence. • Challenges the focus on structures of legitimation in Agamben-inspired discussions. • Discusses the relations between violence and dependency. • Introduces the notion of 'technologies of dependency' to Foucauldian analyses of power. • Re-considers the notion of 'clientelism' in relation to the study of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Wood falls provide locally and temporally restricted inputs of organic material to the deep sea supporting heterotrophic and chemotrophic fauna. These habitats also play a significant role in the diversity, abundance, and evolution of deep-sea macrofauna. Despite the importance of wood falls to the global deep-sea biodiversity, there is a large gap in understanding these patterns in the South Atlantic, and especially along formerly densely forested continental margins. In this paper, we assessed bathymetric variations in macrofaunal community structures and the biodiversity of wood falls. We deployed experimental wood logs at 1500 m and at 3300 m at six stations along the South-eastern Brazilian continental margin between 21 and 28°S. In total, 13,803 individuals belonging to 44 taxa were identified, displaying local and bathymetrical differences in assemblage abundance, biomass, and diversity. Wood-boring bivalves (Xylophagidae) were the dominant taxa in mid-slope stations (1500 m), whereas polychaetes and gastropods dominated the abyssal stations (3300 m). Total macrofaunal biomass (wet weight) was markedly higher in all mid-slope stations (Avr = 0.0053 g cm-3) compared to abyssal stations (Avr = 0.0001 g cm-3). Rarefaction diversity (ES) revealed that abyssal wood falls at Espírito Santo (ES_3300) and São Paulo (SP_3300) respectively had the highest and lowest diversity among all the stations (LC95%, P < 0.05). Wood-fall macrofauna taxa composition was distinct in terms of depth (not significant) and among stations (significant), with xylophagid bivalves and polychaetes (Strepternos didymopyton and Pleijelius cf. longae) mainly responsible for these patterns. We found similar species of bivalves (Xyloredo nooi and Spiniapex gilsonorum) and polychaetes (Strepternos didymopyton) previously reported from the North-west Atlantic and North-east Pacific. Our experiment thus supports the idea that some wood-fall species might have wide distribution ranges. Since our wood logs were all the same size, our data supports the hypothesis that niche dynamics are the most important factor controlling the (beta) diversity of bathyal and abyssal wood-fall assemblages in the South-west Atlantic. Highlights • Wood-fall experiments in the SW Atlantic deep sea showed high diversity and widely distributed wood-fall fauna. • Wood-fall fauna were dominated by wood-boring bivalves (1500 m) and polychaetes gastropods (3300 m). • Macrofaunal communities were significantly different along SE Brazilian margins between 21S and 28S. • Macrofaunal communities were not significantly different between the bathyal and abyssal zones. • Niche dynamics probably control the beta diversity of deep wood-fall assemblages in SE Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Over the last few decades, an emerging, thoroughly globalized market for halal products has been generating increasingly sophisticated, diverse, contested halal regulations. Today, the Brazilian halal meat and poultry industry is among the world's largest exporters of halal meat and poultry. Against this backdrop, this paper examines how halal meat and poultry production has been assembled in Brazil. Drawing on assemblage thinking and ethnographic fieldwork, this paper traces assembling practices of halal meat and poultry production and sheds light on how halal standards have been taken on board. Current research has conceptualized halal and other food standards predominantly as mobile, globalized knowledge objects through which centres assemble and govern food production at a distance. However, I argue that halal meat and poultry production is assembled through sites and their interconnections – including sites of production and others – rather than globally. The assemblage is constituted and shaped as power is transmitted through assembling practices (e.g. the mobilization of Muslim labour from abroad), and sites (e.g. meat processing plants, agribusiness cities, sites of Muslim workforce recruitment and migration networks). The findings suggest that future research on the "bigger picture" of halal should take the role of sites, practices and transmission of power into closer consideration, and address the nexus between halal standards, skilled Muslim labour and migration. Like Brazil, most of the world's large halal producers are countries where Muslims are a minority population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • First assessment of sustainable development achievements of Brazilian CDM projects. • Four project types are analyzed: hydro, biomass energy, landfill gas and methane avoidance. • CDM project types have stimulated local income and labor opportunities. • Only CDM hydro projects have contributed to reduce poverty at the local level. Abstract The goal of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is both emission reduction and sustainable development, but while emission reductions generate revenues for the project developer, no such benefit results from the achievement of sustainable development. The objective of this research is therefore to analyze to which extent CDM investments have led to sustainable development benefits, and whether there is a difference in these effects between renewable energy and waste handling and disposal projects. Complementary to existing studies, which are based on potential effects reported ex-ante by project developers, this paper aims at quantifying impacts of CDM projects on sustainable development based on empirical data. Using data for years 2000 (pre-CDM) and 2010 (post-CDM) for Brazilian municipalities, this paper combines difference-in-differences assessment with matching techniques to identify the effect of CDM investments on development and poverty indicators by distinguishing for four project's types: hydro, biomass energy, landfill gas and methane avoidance. Results show that CDM project types have stimulated local income and labor opportunities but only hydro projects have contributed to reduce poverty at the municipal level for the period analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Evaluation of Brazilian State Forest Institutions (SFI) in charge of forest concessions and planted forests is proposed. • SFI performance is measured against forestry goals by using the 3 L Model and criteria and indicator approach. • The 3 L Model produced a comprehensive overview of the selected Brazilian SFIs in practice. Abstract More than half of Brazilian territory (54%), or approx. 463 million ha, is covered by forests. Public forest ownership dominates with up to 80%, private forests cover cca. 20% and cca. 8% is unclaimed. In public forests the practice of concessions is growing, with the expectation of reducing the problem of Amazonian illegal loggings. Private forests are mainly under plantation management, which generates 5.5% of the country's industrial gross domestic product. Relevance of both is accordingly high, although not dominant in forest share. A key question for forest policy is how successfully the state regulates both issues in practice. Our paper accordingly focuses on the Brazilian Forest Service and the Ministry of Agriculture, which are state forest institutions in charge of forest concessions and planted forests. We look at their performance against legally based forestry goals and rely on primary (participatory observation, semi-structured personal interviews and questionnaire) and secondary sources (documents) for empirical evidence. The 3 L Model serves as a theoretical basis. It was selected while applying criteria and indicators for evaluation of public institutions´ comprehensive performance with respect to sustainable forest management. The results show that Brazilian forest policy strives toward sustainable forest management, as an overall goal. In more particular, the performance of both examined state forest institutions is more market (than public demand) oriented and moves towards strengthening market competences. At the same time, there are constrains in sustaining forest stands. Due to permanent and strong conflicts related to land use changes in Brazil, the relevance of a mediator, aiming to harmonize all different interests related to forest protection and use, is high, but this role is still not taken, at least not by the evaluated state forest institutions. This represents new task for the forestry practice, while facilitating diverse interests in Brazilian forests could not only be a contribution toward conflict management between environmental, forestry and agribusiness actors but could also grant stronger political role to respective state forest institution(s). For attending this role, the performance evaluation of the whole and rather complex forest-related institutional setting in Brazil could provide relevant science-based policy arguments. This paper shows that the 3 L Model could be applied for such evaluation, as it was possible to adapt it to a non-European country and get a comprehensive overview of Brazilian plantation and concession forestry in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The impact of water-related disasters has become more acute in cities of the Amazon Basin. Socio-economic impact assessments have a key role in improving sustainable mitigation projects in order to increase resilience and reduce societal vulnerability. This paper reviews the current state of loss assessments and then explores how to improve estimates for the 2015 flood affecting the city of Rio Branco, Brazil, located on the headwaters of the Amazon Basin. Prevailing models, loss assessments, and databases are not applicable in this Amazonian context due to the lack of detailed cost administration, low levels of human and financial capital, and limited insurance coverage. This paper uses uncertainty ranges of the costs of water-related disasters to provide an assessment of the total impact. Our estimate ranges from 60 to 200 million USD of losses and damage solely due to this flood event, compared to the official estimate of 98 million USD. As floods in Rio Branco are recurrent nearly annually, the cumulative losses over the years may be significantly higher. Our study illustrates the need for improving impact assessments in order to increase the knowledge on the actual costs of flood disasters and avoiding silent impoverishment. Outcomes of impact assessments can show the necessity of mitigation activities which will reduce vulnerability of societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper examines the trade impact on spreading EU values on animal welfare. • It focuses on major legal topics: intensive breeding, transport, slaughter methods. • Firstly, EU standards are identified and explored in relation to the main issues. • Secondly, Argentina and Brazil are analyzed as Mercosur's main trading country. • The analysis shows that both Argentina and Brazil adopt rules "mirroring" EU law. The paper analyzes the impact of trade relations between the European Union (EU) and Mercosur with its member states (Argentina, and Brazil, in particular), on the adoption of legislation on animal welfare inspired by the EU model. In the first part, the paper focuses on the historical roots of the European framework, which led "animal welfare" to become an EU value. Then, it briefly explores the EU legal instrument dedicated to breeding, transport and commercialization of animals, identified as core issues when dealing with international trade. Finally, it examines how Argentina and Brazil have adapted their national rules to the European model, thanks to a "mirroring" legislation strategy. In conclusion, the analysis shows how trade relations with the EU have an impact on the worldwide diffusion of European standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research indicates that a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) is an effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, there are no studies to date of ACT for OCD in Latin American populations. Because socio-cultural context influences OCD symptomatology, it is worth adapting and testing ACT for OCD in such cultures. Three patients seeking treatment for OCD at a public health center in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil were treated with 16 sessions of ACT and ERP. All participants showed decreased OCD scores from baseline to post-treatment that remained lower at follow-up, suggesting that a version of ACT for OCD adapted for a Brazilian cultural context was effective. The intervention also had positive effects on depression, quality of life, and psychological flexibility. This paper focuses on the adaptations that reflect the unique needs of Brazilian culture, as well as how to integrate ACT within existing systems of care. This study shows the effectiveness of this approach in Brazil and offers promise for future cultural adaptations of ACT in other Latin American contexts. • A protocol combining ACT and ERP was culturally adapted for Brazilian clients. • Results show a reduction of OCD, depression, psychological inflexibility and an apparent increase in quality of life. • Clinical improvements were not fully maintained at follow-up, which may reflect the COVID-19 pandemic. • The adapted protocol may be a potential psychosocial treatment option for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder clients in Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several developing countries have implemented programs to support rural families, but there is still a lack of evidence on their effectiveness. This paper seeks to address the existing gap by analyzing the impact of the Second Water Cisterns Program (SWCP) on the income of Brazilian family farmers. The policy intervention consists of a social technology that harvests rainwater for use in agriculture. We combined data from family farmers with administrative data from the program, identifying the participation status of each farmer. Using the Differences in Differences strategy and exploring the time when the farms received the cistern over the period from 2007 to 2016, our results show that the SWCP has a positive impact on the income of rural farms, causing an increase of 5.9%. Heterogeneous effects indicate a greater magnitude of impact among low-income and smaller family farmers. Moreover, the effect is more pronounced for farmers in municipalities with a lower share of agriculture in the total economy as well as for farmers in municipalities with lower rainfall. Our findings highlight the importance of production and productivity as a potential mechanism for raising the income level of rural farmers, with the impact concentrating on low-income family farmers. Based on the cost–benefit analysis, each Brazilian Real invested in SWCP generates an average return of approximately BRL 0.11. These findings suggest that the provision of low-cost social technologies to families in rural areas may be an important mechanism for local economic development. • We estimated the impact of the Second Water Cisterns Program on the income of Brazilian family farmers. • We show that the program has a positive impact on the income of rural farms. • The positive effect on income is larger for low-income and smaller family farmers. • Production and productivity serves as a potential mechanism to increase the income of rural farmers. • The provision of low-cost social technologies is an important mechanism for the development of local economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental degradation and economic development are two of the most pressing issues facing the world today, and public policy that aims to address one of these may unintentionally affect the other. I study the effect of an increase in environmental law enforcement on local economic conditions in rural Brazil. In the first part of this paper, I use data on more targeted anti-deforestation law enforcement activities, guided by satellite alerts, and link that to local forest conversion. I then exploit the staggered introduction of a policy that increases monitoring and enforcement in municipalities with a history of high deforestation, and link this to a range of economic development outcomes. I find that more targeted law enforcement reduces conversion rates of forest to farm land. Furthermore, economic conditions in municipalities with stricter monitoring improve, indicating that environmental enforcement and economic development need not be at odds. • Targeted law enforcement in Amazon Biome of Brazil reduces deforestation. • Economic conditions in municipalities with stricter deforestation-monitoring improve. • GDP per capita is higher, and number of recipients of income support lower in targeted municipalities. • Environmental enforcement and economic development need not be at odds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to investigate the relationship between advergame design, advergame experience and consumer behaviour across cultures. For this purpose, a study was designed to compare and contrast behaviour patterns across Brazilian and British cultures. An advergame ( Colheita de Café (CC)), featuring the Fairtrade mark was developed through a semiotics approach. Participants from both Brazil (N = 30) and the UK (N = 34) were invited to play the advergame and answer a questionnaire before and after gameplay. The results indicate that Brazilians felt more familiar with the visual elements incorporated by the advergame when compared to British consumers. Brazilians also had more favourable attitudes towards the brand, suggesting that visual familiarity could influence consumer behaviour. Contrary to our expectations, both Brazilian and British respondents had the same attitudes towards the advergame, showing that visual familiarity did not particularly influence the advergame experience. The main contribution of this paper is the suggestion that visual familiarity could influence consumer behaviour across cultures. We expect that our findings can be used in future research that examines cultural nuances in advergame design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of public policies have emerged worldwide as a response from governments facing climate change effects, drawing the attention of the scientific community to the outcomes and actual effects/benefits these policies have brought so far. One of the challenging aspects related to this context is the integration of the objectives set by climate change policies within the sectoral and regional planning. In this respect, the literature recognizes the relevance of Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as an instrument to deal with climate change issues in the planning process and to support the development of alternatives to respond to climate change policies. The influence of climate change policies on the plans and programs supported by SEA in emerging economies is yet to be verified. The paper relies on the case of Brazil, recognized by its relevance in terms of biodiversity, water resources and climate regulation. In 2009, Brazil introduced the National Policy of Climate Change (NPCC), which established guidelines to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2020. The present paper is based on the analysis of the current SEA practice and the corresponding level of integration of climate change issues, considering the objectives of the NPCC. A set of 29 statements, delivered by the literature, was applied, combined to the content analysis techniques to review the quality of 35 SEA reports produced in Brazil between 1997 and 2014 (out of 40-odd cases). The outcomes indicate the performance is similar to what was found in other contexts, i.e., SEA areas barely address climate change issues. This thus reveals an important gap between the objectives of NPCC and sectoral/regional planning. SEA can contribute to reducing this gap, but it needs more strength to influence the development of sectoral and regional policies and plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the production of ethanol in Brazil using an extensive, plant-based, ethanol and sugar production database, including multiple variables involved in the ethanol production chain. To this end, a generalized mixed model was used with the Markov Chain and Monte Carlo methods by applying the MCMCglmm package in the R software environment. The results obtained not only confirmed the expected signs between ethanol production and its major drivers or contextual variables, but also shed light in terms of their relative importance and their nature: whether structural, conjunctural or exogenous. The main conclusions of this paper are that the contextual variables that contribute the most to the increase in ethanol production in Brazil were, in order of importance, sugarcane milling, sugar production, and the price ratios between ethanol and sugar. Policy implications to the sector are derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the impact of land reforms on household agricultural investments, livelihood strategies, and income levels in Brazil. Given the persistence of rural poverty in Northeast Brazil and the existence of both land and credit market failures, land reforms remain important policy tools for alleviating poverty and increasing growth. This paper evaluates the impact of the recent National Program of Land Credit, a controversial market-assisted land reform program that provides access to land through private land markets. Household-level panel data covering similar beneficiary and control groups allows for identification using both propensity score weighting and difference-in-difference methodologies. The evidence indicates that the Land Credit successfully transitions households into agriculture, with land holdings and investments increasing as a result of the program. As with many earlier land reform programs in Latin America, the new wave of market-assisted land reforms does not increase access to private credit. While land reforms have the potential to drive redistribution, poverty reduction, and growth, these findings suggest that ensuring greater access to credit, irrigation, and higher return economic activities remains important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of ecosystem services acquired a growing attention in Brazil in the last fifteen years. This fact was observed in the development of legal norms and court decisions throughout the country. Using the theory of densification normative by Thibierge et al. (2013), this paper analyses the theory’s seven parameters in two legal sources – legislation and jurisprudence – which identify a densification normative process over the concept of ecosystem services . This paper concludes that, under the prism of this theory, this densification normative process is being observed and it may contribute to the assignment of legal value to ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The shift from a fossil-based to a bio-based economy (bioeconomy) requires more efficient utilization of the biomass generated from agricultural production. This can be achieved through the cascading use of biomass, which also offers the potential of creating additional value from biomass by developing novel products. Taking sugarcane as a case study example, this paper aims to analyze how well Brazil, the world’s leader in sugarcane production, is positioned to reach these goals. The paper combines two conceptual tools: one is the ‘biomass-based value web’, which was developed as an extension of the value chain concept with the aim to capture the links within and between value chains that arise from the cascading and joined use of biomass. The other concept is that of the ‘national innovation system’ (NIS), which serves to identify the different types of actors involved in the biomass value web and the linkages between them. For empirical data collection, the study combined three methods: a mapping of the physical biomass flows in the value web, in-depth interviews with the actors involved, and the application of the ‘Net-Map’ tool to identify the actors in the NIS and their linkages. The findings show that the development of Brazil’s international competitiveness in sugar and ethanol was based on political incentives that resulted in a strong network of institutions that focused on these two products. However, to become a front-runner in the future bioeconomy, the existing innovation network needs to be expanded. In particular, it is important to integrate national and international private sector organizations. The findings also suggest that industries need stronger incentives to collaborate with knowledge institutions. Long-term consistent policies and funding opportunities for risky investments are also required to further strengthen Brazil’s innovation network to meet future opportunities and challenges of the bioeconomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The Bolsonaro administration and its class allies used the pandemic as a political opportunity and the state as a tool to advance dispossessions. • Dispossessions such as debt interest payments or privatizations simply redistribute surpluses or means of production, with no impact on capital expansion. • Dispossessions of peasants or indigenous people from lands and forests expand capital by turning their means of subsistence into means of capitalist production. • The transfer to for-profit companies of public services, facilities, or spaces turns means of subsistence into commodities and thus expands capital. • Capitalization, commodification, or the termination of contemporary commons reduce means of subsistence and thus increase the availability of exploitable labor-power. In 2020–2021 Brazil simultaneously experienced the far-right presidency of Jair Bolsonaro and the world's largest health crisis in a century. The Covid-19 pandemic struck the country deeply, killing about 690 thousand people by late 2022. They were also years of increased pressure by capital on peasants and indigenous people, targets of the violence with which capital, ever since its dawn, has wielded to advance over spaces that serve the subsistence of immediate producers. In this period, the Brazilian state continued to comply with decades-old demands from neoliberal ideology for privatizations and the dismantling of protections for workers and the poor in general. These phenomena, when articulated by theory inspired by the Marxian concept of primitive accumulation, suggest that the Bolsonaro administration and its class allies used the pandemic as a political opportunity for dispossessing policies. The article discusses this based on concepts that distinguish dispossessions that serve capital expansion from those that do not. The first group includes processes that lead to proletarianization of immediate producers in addition to the capitalization or commodification of hitherto means of subsistence. Among dispossessions that do not expand capital are those that involve the simple redistribution of surpluses or means of production. The paper contributes to the literature on dispossession by analyzing concrete manifestations of it, drawing on a conceptual framework that distinguishes dispossession types that have been conflated in much current research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a comment on the paper "Spatio-temporal analysis of shoreline changes and future forecast using remote sensing, GIS and Kalman filter model: A case study of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil". Results obtained by Palanisamy et al. (2023) differ from other works on the coastline of Rio de Janeiro. Images from the Landsat 1–3 Multispectral Scanner (MSS) satellite and Landsat 5–9 images were inappropriately used in the detailing to delimit the shoreline variations. The lack of information about tides and waves at the time of image acquisition compromised the research results. Oceanographic - meteorological data relating to the month, day and time of the satellite's passage are fundamental in studies of this nature. These forcings are capable of temporarily modifying the morphology and position of coastline. The article proposed by Palanisamy et al. (2023) underestimated the rates of accretion and coastal erosion along the coastline of Rio de Janeiro city by neglecting the issues addressed here. • Results obtained by Palanisamy et al. (2023)on the shoreline variations in Rio de Janeiro city are questioned here. • Methodological procedures used to delimit the historical shoreline variations of Rio de Janeiro city presented inconsistencies. • Results obtained by Palanisamy et al. (2023) on the shoreline of Rio de Janeiro city are incompatibles with other work carried out in the study area. • Comments presented here aim to contribute to the evolution of knowledge about the coastal erosion process (geological hazard) on the shoreline of Rio de Janeiro - Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different interest groups play a role in regulatory governance. One frequently neglected is the group of professionals that run regulatory agencies and pursue regulatory goals. The objective of this paper is to give “regulocrats” center stage. It interprets data from a survey conducted by Brazilian institutions, shedding light on the major preferences of the “regulocrats”, and on how they go about implementing policy and interacting with other actors. Data is combined with a state capacity perspective so as to elaborate on the findings. The paper concludes by articulating an idea of a particular kind of hybridism in the Brazilian “regulocracy”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides two contributions to the research on urban planning and the financialization of land use. Instead of stressing the consequences of finance on others, it prioritizes the analysis of the social-technical constitution of finance itself within urban planning, and does so in an emerging country setting, which is still relatively understudied in the existing literature. We analyse a specific Brazilian planning instrument, i.e., the sale of securitized building certificates (CEPACs) in large urban (re)development projects (UDPs), as a potential constituent space of urban financialization. The paper explores how planners, financial consultants, contractors and builders/developers effectively shape the contradictory financial and physical design and implementation of UDPs with CEPACs. Although the initial evidence shows that there are still clear limits to the penetration of financial logics into land use planning, continuing regulatory rollout and the increasing activism of foreign investors suggest the instrument’s open-ended trajectory, with a potentially more significant role for financial actors in constituting urban financialization through CEPACs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the legitimacy of pilot projects in Kilosa and Kondoa districts of Tanzania and the Amazon region in Brazil. The analysis is both normative – i.e., based on external criteria – and sociological – i.e., based on local people’s perceptions. Results show that the quality of decision-making in terms of local participation, balanced representation, openness and sufficient information increases local acceptability of REDD+. The research also suggests that power asymmetries may undermine legitimacy if not dealt with. Finally, the paper reveals that legitimacy outcomes differ under various contexts, which calls for REDD+ processes to be flexible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil became self-sufficient in volume of crude oil. However, this has not reduced the dependence of foreign oil products. Brazil imports finished diesel, since its refineries lack hydro-refining units to produce the low-sulfur diesel needed. This paper uses an index decomposition approach to investigate the Brazilian import dependence on petroleum products from the demand side, focusing on today's most relevant oil product in the country: diesel. The three major diesel end uses in the country are decomposed, showing that freight transport is the most vulnerable end use, given Brazil's reliance on cargo movement to drive economic activity. This is, in turn, related to the large economic dependence on the export of primary products, including agricultural products. The demand side drivers for diesel consumption in Brazil analyzed in this paper, help direct demand-side policies to reduce the country's vulnerability to diesel imports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pressures are mounting for the simplification of environmental impact assessment (EIA). This phenomenon is drawing increasing scholarly attention, but studies have not gone far beyond speculating what could happen as a result of recently implemented or proposed regulatory changes. This paper takes a more longitudinal look at simplified EIAs. The main objective was to analyze the perceived outcomes of a number of simplified EIA processes, using Brazil as the empirical context. More specifically, this paper aimed at understanding: 1) how simplified EIAs have been conceptualized and implemented in southeastern Brazil; and 2) how developers and civil servants in that region perceive the outcomes of simplified EIAs. This study adopted a sequential mixed method research approach. Data was collected through literature reviews, 261 telephone-based interviews and 10 face-to-face interviews. Degrees of EIA simplification can vary significantly within and across jurisdictions. In any case, simplification is often framed as a win-win solution to EIA ineffectiveness, through which regulatory and procedural changes are made to ease the process, while, at the same time, maintaining or providing better environmental protection. This approach is more frequently applied to potentially low-impact processes. Chi-square tests of the data collected through telephone interviews in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais indicated that developers tend to perceive EIA processes as difficult and slow regardless of how simplified it is. Most civil servants, who were directly involved in the implementation of simplified EIAs in state environmental agencies, argued that simplified EIAs are driven mostly by environmental agencies, as these institutions have long been unable to cope with an ever-increasing load of license applications. Policy outcomes of simplified EIAs in the territory are not sufficiently monitored by state agencies. Civil servants revealed concerns about the potential long term effects of EIA simplification on the ground, as they have had limited resources for audits and inspections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asymmetry is a common phenom among invertebrates. A consequence of this phenom is the rise of chiral forms (or enantiomorphs), which are structures that are mirror images of each other. The asymmetry can be divided into two: directional asymmetry, when only one of the enantiomorphs exists in nature, and antisymmetry, when both chiral forms exist in nature in equal frequencies, a much rarer phenom than the prior. In this paper, I describe the unknown male and redescribe the female of Isagoras paxillus (Westwood) and a new species of Isagoras Stål from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, Isagoras sobrali sp. nov. (based on males from Rio Grande do Norte: Natal). Furthermore, I also describe the first case of antisymmetry in Phasmatodea in these two species and discuss the relevance of this finding within a morphological, behavioral, and systematic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic (SARS-CoV-2 virus) is the global crisis of our time. The absence of mass testing and the relevant presence of asymptomatic individuals causes the available data of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil to be largely under-reported regarding the number of infected individuals and deaths. We develop an adapted Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) model, which explicitly incorporates the under-reporting and the response of the population to public health policies (confinement measures, widespread use of masks, etc). Large amounts of uncertainty could provide misleading predictions of the COVID-19 spread. In this paper, we discuss the role of uncertainty in these model-based predictions, which is illustrated regarding three key aspects: (i) Assuming that the number of infected individuals is under-reported, we demonstrate anticipation regarding the infection peak. Furthermore, while a model with a single class of infected individuals yields forecasts with increased peaks, a model that considers both symptomatic and asymptomatic infected individuals suggests a decrease of the peak of symptomatic cases. (ii) Considering that the actual amount of deaths is larger than what is being registered, we demonstrate an increase of the mortality rates. (iii) When we consider generally under-reported data, we demonstrate how the transmission and recovery rate model parameters change qualitatively and quantitatively. We also investigate the "the uncertainty tripod": under-reporting level in terms of cases, deaths, and the true mortality rate of the disease. We demonstrate that if two of these factors are known, the remainder can be inferred, as long as proportions are kept constant. The proposed approach allows one to determine the margins of uncertainty by assessments on the observed and true mortality rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social distancing has been adopted as a strategy to contain the advance of the pandemic until specific solutions to combat the virus are available. Many economic sectors and social activities need to continue despite the viruses, and most social distancing policies disregard individual choices, resulting in greater or lesser adherence to isolation. In this paper, we characterize the differentiation of access to essential activities within Brazilian cities during social distancing and the intention to maintain behavior changes concerning these activities in the post-pandemic period. The results showed that the behavior regarding essential activities during the pandemic is not independent of variables associated with pre-pandemic travel patterns, isolation conditions, and socioeconomic factors. Post-pandemic intention proved to be statistically dependent on factors associated with the activities' characteristics and experiences during the pandemic. Accessibility-oriented planning can guide urban and transportation policies more equitably through the identification of the most affected groups by activity disruption. At the same time, the incorporation of new routines less dependent on displacement offers opportunities to review public space. [Display omitted] • Less schooling, self-employed or less frequent commuters changed less work routine. • Young, less schooling or low-income people maintained educational and purchase trips. • Higher schooling people have more chances to keep essential tasks without traveling. • Public transport users had fewer opportunities to switch from routine to purchasing. • Post-pandemic intention is statistically dependent on activities' characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to present the main challenges for the development of the natural gas industry in the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo; in so doing, the paper identifies the strategies that are currently employed by industry players to encourage the use of this resource and to thus diversify the state's energy matrix. For these purposes, the following methodology was adopted: (i) analyzing bibliographic references that address the issues of infrastructure industry, regulation and the natural gas industry in Brazil – including in the Brazilian states; and (ii) employing secondary data from governmental and regulatory institutions to demonstrate the evolution of this industry in recent years in Brazil and particularly in Espírito Santo. The study concludes that, although there are challenges in expanding the gas transportation (carrier) and distribution segments ("natural monopolies") and the formation of a "consumption-anchor" for natural gas, the present is the right time to use public policies to encourage the use of natural gas and renewable sources for technological, environmental and energy security reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary This paper investigates whether small-scale water supply systems implemented and operated by water user associations increase access to piped water supply in rural Brazil by more than systems by local governments. Starting from 15% to 16% in the year 2000, access rates in rural areas with water user associations increased to 33.4% in 2010. In areas with local government supply systems, access rates only increased to 24.9%. Based on data from Brazilian census and the national water and sanitation survey, the empirical analysis in this paper shows that the observed difference is effectively due to project-type choice. Additionally it points toward higher accountability as a potential reason for better results of community-based projects. In municipalities where social groups requested a new system before the local government started implementation and therefore public awareness for the project was higher, the increase in access rates is comparable to the increase in municipalities with water user association projects. The same is true if local media is present or political competition in local elections is higher. As the effect of project type on access rates might be confounded by simultaneous drivers of project-type choice and access rates, the quantitative analysis is based on a difference-in-difference estimator in combination with kernel matching to overcome the endogeneity of project type. The treatment effect revealed by this analysis is robust to various specification changes and the robustness checks show no structural differences between treatment and control groups that could bias the results. The calculation of matching weights for the kernel matching is informed by semi-structured interviews with academics and sector experts in Brazil explaining the determinants of project choice. The interviews highlight the political economy behind infrastructure expansion in rural Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a novel comprehensive conceptualization of Energy Technology Foresight (ETF) in emerging economies, including development trajectories, key methodological tools and elements, major challenges and weaknesses. ETF allows the emerging economies to provide the basis for government's energy policy, to create a common vision among the various actors and to strengthen R&D and innovation basis in the energy sector. The author presents five basic premises to conceptualize the ETF approach in emerging economies: the need to take into account higher risks and uncertainties; integration of foresight outcomes in national and corporate strategic planning; constant revision of ETF methodology; dominance of economic, technological and security considerations; and the inability to catch-up with the energy technology development of the world leaders. Three case-studies (Russia, Brazil and China) of ETF in emerging markets are presented to illustrate and substantiate the conceptual approach. The paper is of interest for researchers that are involved in future studies, as well as decision-makers, who commission such studies and use their outcomes to advance the policy processes and documents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fundamental differences between the dimensions of sustainable development have been identified by researchers and many assessment tools have been developed in several countries. This paper introduces the development of a methodology for determining the weight of each dimension employed in sustainable construction assessment through the use of assessment tools that use the Brazilian indicators of sustainable development in accordance with the Commission on Sustainable Development, and also through the utilization of a database provided by the Brazilian Geography and Statistics Institute (IBGE). Firstly, the Sustainability Panel tool was employed to reveal separately the status of dimensions in sustainable development (environmental, social and economic) and then it was made a statistical analysis of the results for each region in Brazil (north, northeast, midwest, southeast and south). The solution presented in this paper aims to reduce the inconsistencies found in the adjustments of the assessment tools considering regional differences based on political actions included in governmental agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]